Page 93 of You Know You Wanna

Laurene and Remington wound their way around the bodies at the summer festival, both of them smiling and waving at me. I returned both gestures, but I was still feeling pretty down.

“Birdie,” Laurene called when they got close enough, rushing over to give me a slushie. “Dad said to get you strawberry, but I got you grape because that’s my favorite flavor.”

“Good call.” I gave her a one-armed hug, wondering how she’d turned out so sweet when she’d been born from a woman like Jacqueline.

A woman whose words had been haunting my thoughts for days now, even though I knew that was exactly what she’d intended when she’d said them. Try as I might, I couldn’t shake them. Not even knowing that I’d been warned against her.

At some point in the last couple days, I’d realized she hadn’t been trying to warn a fellow woman. She’d been malicious and she’d come at me from the angle of being concerned. A friend, almost.

It hadn’t taken me long to see through the kind act. That wasn’t what I was feeling down about. What had gotten to me was the fact that malicious intent didn’t make her wrong.

Remington grinned when he reached me, looking carefree and gorgeous in a fitted white T-shirt and slate gray shorts. He hadn’t shaved his face clean again since the camping trip, seeming to prefer a bit of scruff on his jaw now, but it fell short of a beard. His hair was styled away from his face, but even that was less neat than it’d been when he’d first arrived.

“Hey, you,” he said lightly, those eyes so warm and happy on mine. “Are you hungry? We were just going to get some lunch.”

“Burgers,” Laurene said, smiling. “You like burgers, right?”

“I mean, I have a mouth, so yeah, I like burgers.” I slid my arm around her shoulders again and pulled her close a little more sincerely this time. “How has your day been so far? What do you think of the summer festival?”

“It’s awesome!” she exclaimed, her eyes alive with excitement. “I’ve never been to anything like this. Everyone is so friendly and there are rides. Daddy said I could go on some.”

“After lunch,” he interrupted. “Speaking of which, I’m going to hit that food truck before the line gets any longer. Can I bring you a burger?”

I nodded. “Please. Just cheese is perfect. Thank you.”

He was gone before I could offer him any money for mine, and Laurene was still talking a mile a minute, staying with me while he went to get our food. It had happened by unspoken agreement and I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I preferred it this way. If Jacqueline had been right, it still didn’t mean anything and I was being a silly local for thinking it did.

A soft sigh escaped me, and somehow, Laurene heard it over the laughter, chatter, and music filling the air at the fairgrounds. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, sweetheart. Just a conversation I had with someone that’s bugging me.”

She squinted at me, clearly in thought until she finally let out a sigh of her own. “Was the person you had the conversation with my mom?”

“What?”

“Was it my mom?” she asked again, then shook her head. “Sometimes, she means well, but she come across pretty rude.”

“She only means well sometimes?” Gosh, my own mother hadn’t been perfect, but I couldn’t imagine ever saying something like that about her.

Lulu shrugged though, like it didn’t matter much what she thought anyway. “Nadia, my nanny until last year, told me that my mom has a good heart. She just doesn’t always know how to show it because of everything going on in her own life.”

A nice way of telling a kid that her mom is selfish. Noted.

“How are you feeling about her being here?” I asked, diverting the conversation away from my feelings about it. “You must’ve been pretty shocked when you found out she’d come.”

“I was, but my mom is unpredictable. Nadia told me that, too. She said that my mom is a strong, independent woman who does what she wants, when she wants, and that it means you don’t always know what she’s going to do.”

“Wow.”

“I know.” She lifted her shoulders in another shrug before she grinned. “I’m okay now, though. I’m not on a plane or in London, so that’s good.”

“Very true,” I agreed. “I heard it was a close call.”

“Yeah, she wanted me to fly out with her yesterday, but Daddy convinced her to let me stay.” The grin faded and her mouth turned down at the corners instead. “I’m not sure for how long, but I’m trying not to think about it too much.”

“That’s the spirit.” I smiled. “Don’t overthink stuff. Just stay in the moment and try to enjoy each one for what it is. Your daddy loves you very much. He’s going to do everything he can.”

She was quiet for a beat before she nodded. “I’m starting to believe that.”